While Aaron Hernandez is no longer here, his memory carries on in the hearts of those closest to him.
April 19 marks the fourth anniversary of the former New England Patriots player's death. In April 2017, the then-27-year-old athlete was found hanging in his prison cell and later pronounced dead at the hospital. At the time, he was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd. He had been engaged to Shayanna Jenkins, who gave birth to his daughter Avielle in 2012.
"Since you've been gone," she wrote in an April 19 Instagram post, "the loss hasn't gotten any easier ... I still hurt . I still cry . I still wonder why."
Jenkins shared the quote, "You [sic] memory is what gets me through each day as I remember all the special things about you."
As she concluded her tribute, Jenkins shared how she and their now-8-year-old daughter keep Hernandez close. "You are missed, loved and thought of heavily today," she wrote. "Avielle and I continue to talk about you and keep your presence alive . May you continue to Rest In Peace and watch over us daily . With love always and forever."
In November, she paid public tribute to Hernandez on another special day for both him and their daughter: their matching birth dates. "I know you cherish this day because it's one you share with your daddy," Jenkins wrote to her daughter on Instagram. "Daddy is looking down on you and will continue to guide you forever ! May you smile big today and always ! I love you ... #Avielleturns8 #daddysgirl #AHforeverHBD."
At the start of 2020, Netflix released a bombshell docuseries, which included claims about his sexuality. In the project, Hernandez's childhood friend Dennis SanSoucie came forward about their alleged sexual relationship. "I was a small piece of Aaron's sexual activity," he said in the series. "At that time frame, the girls didn't really hang out with the boys after school, so me and Aaron experimented and it was something that, I'll be honest with, that we continued because we probably enjoyed it. Um, hello?"
In an interview with ABC News' Amy Robach, Jenkins addressed the claims about her fiancé. "If he did feel that way or if he felt the urge, I wish that I was told," she said. "I wish that he would have told me because I would not have loved him any differently. I would have understood."